Alice Comedies (partially lost series of Walt Disney shorts; 1920s)

Copy of the Alice Comedies title card, signed by the late Virginia Davis (who played Alice for the majority of the shorts).

Status: Partially Lost

The Alice Comedies were another early animation project by Walt Disney. These silent shorts were known for their innovative animation and special effects. Various actresses played Alice throughout the shorts' production, including Virginia Davis, Margie Gay, Dawn O'Day, and Lois Hardwick.

The shorts were based on a girl named Alice (played by a live-action actress) who seemingly lived in an animated world. The first Alice Comedy, "Alice's Wonderland", paralleled the plot of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, which led to the premise of the series, depicting Alice's adventures in a cartoon world.

Contents

Availability

Many of these shorts, particularly the ones from late in its run, have been lost. Historians have put much effort into finding these shorts, with one popping up every few years or so. Many of the found episodes have been released in parts of the Walt Disney Treasures series. Most of them have been uploaded to YouTube.[1]